Teaching to Transgress Today: Theory and Practice In and Outside the Classroom

A lecture by Imani Perry (Professor, Center for African American Studies, and Faculty Associate, Program in Law and Public Affairs, Princeton University) followed by a dialogue with bell hooks, Karlyn Crowley (Director of the Cassandra Voss Center & Professor of English, St. Norbert College), Zillah Eisenstein (Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence & Professor of Political Theory and Anti-Racist Feminisms, Ithaca College), and Shannon Winnubst (Associate Professor, Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Ohio State University) in a continuing discussion. Presented by Eugene Lang College (www.newschool.edu/lang).
bell hooks (née Gloria Watkins) is among the leading public intellectuals of her generation. Her writings cover a broad range of topics including gender, race, teaching, and contemporary culture. This fall marks the 20th Anniversary of the publication of Teaching to Transgress: Education as a Practice of Freedom, Dr. hooks’ seminal book on educational practices. This week-long residency is an opportunity for The New School community to directly engage with Dr. hooks and her commitment to education and learning as a place “where paradise can be created”
For more information on the bell hooks residency | www.newschool.edu/lang/bell-ho...

[@48laveo]

So glad to hear and watch this. There is so much for me to think about. Thank you for uploading this.

[@karenmurray4714]

It would help to repeat the questions from the audience over the microphone so that it can be heard in the video.

[@thomasc9451]

beautiful: ...embracing black aesthetics is possible without merely *spicing up* my white bred life... - S. Winnubst. 1 hour and 15 min in. In the sense of decolonizing our imaginations, as bell puts it. Thank you all.

[@paultowmy3999]

@caitleee91- thank you so much for what appears to be a measured response. I'm very interested in your comment however, I can't seem to find the remainder, beyond... "I can speak here as 1) an American, bisexual woman and 2) an educator in higher ed that is constantly studying, learning, and teaching about issues of social justice (this by no means makes me an expert, merely someone entering into the conversation from another perspective). I'll try to be as brief as possible and I hope I remember to check back (this is peak grading and writing time of the semester). Queer takes on a slightly different resonance in the academy because LGBT+ scholars..." ...this? I appreciate very much, both the time you've taken and given your "peak grading period", the time you're likely to have, to find/repeat/copy/paste. If you ever can/do find the time, I'm likely to be indebted to you. Thank you most kindly. I will wait almost an eternity for such a valued reply :-) Kind regards, Paul.

[@caitleee91]

Hi Paul! Don't know why it doesn't show up - it still appears on mine without issue but it could be due to length (and sometimes it takes a second for the "Read more" to load - at least on my terrible internet connection). I will split it up into a couple comments.

[@caitleee91]

I can speak here as 1) an American, bisexual woman and 2) an educator in higher ed that is constantly studying, learning, and teaching about issues of social justice (this by no means makes me an expert, merely someone entering into the conversation from another perspective). I'll try to be as brief as possible and I hope I remember to check back (this is peak grading and writing time of the semester). Queer takes on a slightly different resonance in the academy because LGBT+ scholars have redeemed the word both socially and theoretically. I'll start with theoretically - the study of texts that focuses on questions of gender and sexuality is often termed "queer theory." Just as some critical lenses are ecocriticism, feminist, postcolonial, Marxist, etc. So, for people in the academy, the term is frequently used with an eye to conscious, concerted effort toward broadening our understandings of relationships and identity in texts and in society.

[@caitleee91]

Socially speaking, and here I will broaden this out to the larger LGBT+ community, queer has been and certainly can be reappropriated. For several reasons. One is, as the poster above suggested, taking control over a word. Remembering the way it has been used to oppress you and others like you and not allowing it to do so. Another reason is to express an interest in expanding our understanding of different sexual and gender identities. I know several individuals that do not describe themselves as gay or bisexual or transgender, but instead use queer to suggest that their sexual and/or gender identity is something other than straight. To respond to your point about it being "bird-brained" or irrational for members of oppressed communities to use these words and expect others not to - frankly I disagree. As a white person, I would never direct the n word toward a black person, regardless if they use the term themselves. That's not my place. Most people have an awareness about being appropriate and respectful of others. You may find this comment on the harsh side given the rest of my post (and I'm really not directing it toward you personally) but it's just laziness or a general disinterest in respecting others if you use "well they said it" as an excuse to use a term you know it's not appropriate to use. It's a way for people to place blame on those who have been oppressed. They're not confused - they're trying to get away with it, to test the power boundary that's already so clearly in their favor.

[@caitleee91]

This didn't end up being brief. But I'll conclude talking a little less academically and a little more personally about this. I think, though I would never presume to know, that people respond to questions about "Otherness" aka non-white, straight, male, cisgender, able, neurotypical identities with a lot of passion and sometimes anger is because to be completely honest, it's not the person who is oppressed's responsibility to educate those that are not under the same prejudices. We're metaphorically and too often literally trying to survive in a world where historically and currently it's dangerous to be who we are. We have bigger concerns in mind and it's exhausting to halt every moment to explain every single move we make. While many people do seize opportunities to educate, it becomes exhausting. It's tiring to always have to explain your choices, your language usage, your identity all of the time in a way that people who don't suffer under these prejudices do not.

[@caitleee91]

Am I happy that more and more people WANT to learn about this? Absolutely!!! It's fantastic. But you have to also understand how frustrating it can be, and here I'll get more personal, to have a parent tell you that "you don't know" you're bisexual after coming out, having to explain it over and over again to different people who shrug their shoulders and say "I don't get it," who never even try to research on their own before asking you again about the "LGB..what are the letters now" "stuff." You shouldn't be frightened to speak! It's good that you have questions about this, but the people who are already in so many ways pushed down are not the ones ultimately responsible for you becoming a better person. I don't think that's what you were trying to do but - again, to be blunt, - your opening question "This is surely not progress" on this thread read more like an accusation "why do you get to do something I'm not supposed to do" than a genuine question. Again, I don't think this was the intent, but it so often is the intent and it becomes very discouraging. While you're right, ultimately it is down to us to educate allies, it shouldn't be. People have unbelievable resources immediately available to them to try and understand these things on their own. At some point, yeah, it's great to reach out and open up a line of conversation. Change only tends to happen when marginalized people raise enough voices that people who aren't marginalized are forced to pay attention. We're the ones that are so often barely treading water - we can't also be the ones who are throwing out lifelines to those safely on land. I very sincerely hope that this is helpful! I wish you well with your learning!

[@philiptoner8719]

its funny how people who obviously do not understand what she is saying call it nonsesne and jargon

[@idamarialeal3383]

Jesus was a Jew and therefore not white. The fact that he has been portrayed as white is one issue, but to then use Buddah as a more accurate deity and describe him as living, is not appropriate. this is an example of what Freire warns against. However, well-meaning, we must be careful not to become the new oppressor. I greatly admire the work of bell hooks and have been so inspired by her woks, but strongly disagree with this comment. Jesus is alive and we can and I do have a living and intimate relationship. With him through the Holy Spirit. Again, I am very grateful for all her inspirational work.

[@maxpeck7382]

Jesus isn't alive and social justice/progressivism only uses Christianity as one of many faiths it couches itself in and has progressives lead the ministry of because it is more easily used than a "pagan" warrior religion who's values revolve around warfare. btw.....Pushing for excessive "harmony" is oppression. The reality that so many "identities" of people have today under progressivism are spawned from this bell hooks transgess culture that in fact latches mentally to the progressive politics of harmony shows they aren't real identities and don't seek to seek freely. Real identities like real religions have free thinking values that divide them even to the point of a motivation to fight over them. An "individual" identity without substantial difference of personal self to care about apart from the others is not a self in the personal or tribal sense. Harmony and Individuality are literally contradictory concepts. Harmony is the push to Harmonize into one while Individuality like Tribalism has it's separate personal set of values it seeks to preserve. Bell Hooks "transgressing" colonialism doesn't mean much when it is progressive meaningless "diversity" not thought different from each other on the matter of Harmony. Harmony means thought harmony genius and minority politics/progressivism has college proffessor mentor teachers who sell the same ideology activist and harmony of all "diverse" groups bunk as the way of individuality.

[@JonathanGoslan]

Waffle waffle and waffle.

[@TJ-kk5zf]

jargon nonsense